Image copyrightReutersImage caption Rum has a long history of production in the Caribbean, dating back to the 17th Century

Long the poison of brutish pirates and drunken sailors, rum was traditionally a cheap booze imbibed far less for its flavour than its heady effect.

Today lust for the liquor has never been so potent, and it is a taste for premium brands that is leading the charge, say manufacturers in the Caribbean who are reporting increasing sales in top-shelf varieties.

"People now recognise there's more to rum than something to mix with cola; it's being taken seriously," says Graham Williams, director of Renegade Rum which broke ground on a pioneering new distillery in Grenada in July.

Rum sales in the UK recently topped £1bn ($1.3bn) for the first time but rum's legacy lies in the 17th Century sugar plantations in the Caribbean where, along with Latin America, the vast majority of it is still made.

It has seen a colourful evolution from industrial waste on brutal slave-operated farms which produced what was once Britain's most valuable commodity export, to a defining feature of modern Caribbean culture and a lynchpin of the region's tourism product.

From the Bahamas to Trinidad, most islands produce a rum, much of it using age-old techniques and fiercely guarded secret recipes.

From cane to bottle

Seven different types of sugarcane will be used to produce Renegade Rum's liquor which will mature, or "age", in oak barrels before hitting the market.

"Each bottle will have full traceability back to the exact farm the cane came from as the flavour varies based on aspects like micro-climates," Mr Williams says.

"I have been in the business over 30 years and seen rum increase in popularity - and sales grow by up to 10% over the last decade - as people learn more about it," he continues.

"Caribbean rums used to be sold as a commodity in bulk to independent bottlers, rather than as individually produced brands owned by distilleries in international markets. These authentic brands have increased awareness of rum and led to new styles and ageing timescales."

Traditional rum is made from molasses, a byproduct of sugar processing and the method most manufacturers still use. Renegade Rum's liquor will instead use sugarcane juice, a method known as "rhum agricole" and favoured in French Caribbean islands for its earthy flavour.

"Rather than the ubiquitous waste stream of sugar, I want to make something more profound, based on provenance, authenticity and traceability," explains the company's CEO Mark Reynier.

While the Caribbean rum industry may be a "minnow in a big pond" of global branded spirits, promoting its pedigree is key, says Vaughn Renwick of the West Indies Rum & Spirits Producers' Association (WIRSPA).

The market for top quality rum is climbing "at a healthy rate", he says, adding: "I think our message about common regulation and provenance, and being a family of authentic Caribbean rums has helped, plus the tremendous amount of innovation taking place."

These days most of the Caribbean's once-thriving sugar plantations have closed but rum remains a flagship export and an integral part of Caribbean culture, a staple of every event from christenings to carnival.